


The Stray

by New_day



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Caring Will Graham, Domestic, Fluff, Hannibal Lecter is a Cannibal, Happy Ending, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Murder, Protective Will Graham, Supernatural Elements, Wendigo, Will Graham Finds Out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-12-26 10:25:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18281147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/New_day/pseuds/New_day
Summary: On a cold, windy night, Will Graham found a stray on his way home from work. He was nothing like the strays Will had found before. It wasn't a dog this time, but something entirely other. A human male- or at least Will thought he was human.





	The Stray

On a cold, windy night, Will Graham found a stray on his way home from work. He was nothing like the strays Will had found before. It wasn't a dog this time, but something entirely other. A human male- or at least Will thought he was human. The stray was lying in the middle of the road, motionless and covered in blood. Will stopped his car and got out, afraid that the stray was dead. But when Will approached him, the stray opened his eyes.

His eyes seemed more red than brown, Will thought this was probably due to the reflection of his car's headlights. An optical illusion.

He touched the stray's shoulder and asked softly: “What happened? Are you hurt?”

The stray just stared at Will with his red eyes, and suddenly, Will wondered whether he knew the stray. Actually Will knew this couldn't be, he was sure that they hadn't met before. Will would remember this strange man, and he didn't. But for some reason, the stray seemed...oddly familiar. 

Will took the stray home with him. He didn't object, but seemed to follow Will gladly. Will put him in his bathtub and washed his body with a washcloth, and the stray didn't object to that either. On the contrary, he closed his eyes and relaxed when Will washed him, and Will knew he enjoyed the touch. 

When the stray's body was clean, Will saw that he had no visible injuries, despite all the blood that had been on his body and was now reddening the bathwater. Will frowned.

“What happened? What happened to you?”

The stray just stared at him.

Will thought about calling the police, but he didn't. 

He thought that he should probably be afraid of his strange guest, but he wasn't.

Somehow he knew that he had no reason to be afraid. Whatever had happened to the stray, whatever he had done, Will knew he wouldn't hurt him. He made a bed for the stray, a mattress which he placed on the floor, close to his dogs and near his own bed. Will tucked the stray into bed like a child, covering him with a blanket and wishing him a good night. Again, the stray just stared at Will, intelligence gleaming in his red eyes, and Will knew that the stay understood every word he said, even though he didn't answer.

***

That night Will woke up and realized that the stray was next to him, in his bed.

He was cuddling up to Will, and he was naked. Will froze, he wanted to tell the stray to leave, wanted to ask him what the hell he was thinking. But when the stray touched him, it felt like a reunion with a long lost and dearly missed lover, and heat spread inside Will. In his belly, his groin, in the whole of his body. Will kissed the stray who kissed him back passionately, and Will felt a greed, a _hunger_ that went far beyond sexual arousal. It was like a physical need, almost as if Will had been starving without even realizing it and had finally found the nourishment he required.

***

The stray settled in at Will's house. It took Will, who had always preferred to live alone, astonishing little time to get used to sharing his place. When he came home from work, the stray awaited him. He cooked for Will, preparing incredibly delicious meals with the simple ingredients he found at Will's house.

They ate together, sitting opposite each other, and the stray still didn't talk, but smiled when Will complimented him on his food. The nights they spent together, in Will's bed, exploring each other's bodies.

Will's dogs tolerated the new inhabitant, mostly they ignored each other, as the stray didn't seem to care much about dogs. But Will got the impression that the dogs were wary and always on their guard when the stray was near, eyeing him suspiciously. Will wondered why this might be.

***

One night, Will had a strange dream. 

Lying next to him in his bed was an eerie creature, with pitch-black skin and antlers on its bald head. Staring at Will with red, glowing eyes, the creature reached out a clawed hand and touched Will's face. The claws left a deep scratch on Will's skin, and he could feel blood dripping down his cheek. Slowly, the creature withdrew its hand and licked Will's blood off its fingers. It made a soft, growling sound, closed its eyes and licked its lips, obviously enjoying the taste of Will's blood. Will just stared back at it, rather bewildered than creeped out, wondering what this uncanny creature was doing in his bed and why it seemed so familiar.

***

When Will woke up the next morning, the creature was gone, and the stray was lying next to Will, still asleep. Will wondered about his strange dream, but he was at a loss where it had come from or what it could possibly mean. 

Yawning, Will got up and walked into the bathroom. There he stopped, rooted to the spot, staring at his reflection in the mirror with a frown.

On his cheek was a long, deep scratch, caked with blood.

***

That evening, the stray served Will a heart.

Will was skeptical at first, he didn't particularly like offal, but he changed his mind quickly when he tasted the food.

“It's delicious,” Will said. “One of the best things I've ever eaten. Did you buy the meat at the supermarket? And where on earth did you learn to cook like this?”

Of course the stray didn't answer, as usual, but Will saw his proud and affectionate smile and knew the stray understood. Will wondered what kind of meat the stray had served him. It almost tasted like pork...almost, but not quite.

***

When Will watched the news he knew at once.

He _saw_.

A corpse, arranged and displayed in a beautiful way, much more beautiful than the man had been in life.

His body was intact, apart from the missing heart.

Will remembered how he found the stray, covered in blood that was not his own, remembered the strange antlered creature he saw the night the man was killed and the heart the stray served him for dinner the next evening.

And he just knew, because sometimes Will just knew these kinds of things.

***

Will confronted the stray.

“Why?” he asked him. “Why did you do it? I know you killed someone, but as far as I can tell, you had no reason. Or had you? Why did you kill him? And how the hell could you- make me eat his heart? What's gotten into you?”

The stray didn't answer, but just returned Will's gaze, and Will could tell that he was pleased.

Pleased and proud of Will because he found out. Because Will was able to _see_ him.

Will was just angry and confused and didn't know what to say or do. He knew he couldn't go to the police. Was the stray even aware of what he was doing? Did he know that it was wrong?

That night Will refused to share a bed with the stray, but told him to sleep on the mattress. The stray complied, but Will could sense his distress about being rejected.

***

When Will came home from work the next day, he had made a decision.

“I need to talk to you,” he told the stray. “You can't just kill random people. I won't tolerate that, you can't stay with me if you keep doing it. But...” Will was silent for a moment, then he continued. “Did you know that I used to be a policeman before I became a teacher?”

The stray didn't answer, but by his look Will could tell that he listened closely.

“Yes, I was a policeman. And do you know why I quit? Because I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't take it anymore that murderers and rapists got away with their crimes because they had the best lawyers or because someone tampered with the evidence. I don't know why you do what you do, and I'm not sure what you are, but...I know you won't stop. Maybe you can't, maybe you don't want to, but I know you won't. So...if you want us to stay together, you'll have to do it on my terms from now on. I'll give you the names, and you...keep doing what you've done so far.”

The stray looked at Will, with tears in his eyes, and Will knew that he was probably the first one who had _seen_ the stray, accepted him for what he was and was even willing to become his accomplice. It was obvious that the stray was overjoyed about Will's decision, and Will couldn't help but smile about the stray's happiness.

***

The stray killed three or four people in a row, then he stopped for a while. It took some time till he had finished Will's list. 

Will didn't care how long it took him, but he was pleased with the turn of events. It wasn't easy to admit it, even to himself, but it made him feel good that he had a part in this, that he was the one who chose the victims. It made him feel righteous, as if he was doing the right thing by ridding the world of evil.

And dining with the stray after a kill was always a special occasion.

Will still enjoyed the stray's delicious food, although he knew now what- or who- it was, enjoyed it perhaps even more than before.

One day, when they were eating one of the stray's victims- his liver, this time- Will suddenly burst into laughter. He looked at his plate, then at the stray, and he couldn't stop laughing.

The stray looked at him questioningly, raising an eyebrow, and Will said, still chuckling:

“I think I finally know what to call you. I've found the perfect name for you. It...rhymes.” Will burst into laughter again. “I know it's silly, but I like it. I think it suits you, and I know you will like it, too.”

***

When the stray- or Hannibal, as he was called now- finally started to talk, Will was thrilled.

He had known that Hannibal understood him all along, but hearing him talk was...something else. He spoke with a voice that was a bit hoarse, as if he had a cold or had been screaming, but calm and soft. He had a strange accent Will couldn't place, but his English was flawless, sophisticated even.

Will came to love their conversations about everything and anything, sometimes just silly banter, sometimes deep and philosophical discussions, about god, the nature of good and evil or the human condition. Will was amazed and delighted at Hannibal's intelligence and his dark sense of humor.

But despite their long and intimate conversations, Hannibal never told Will where he came from and who or what he was, and Will never asked. If Hannibal wanted to tell him some day, he would.

When Will introduced Hannibal to his few friends, they were surprised, both about seeing Will with a man and about seeing him with someone like Hannibal. But they soon came to like the friendly, polite foreigner and got the impression that he was a good influence on Will. Because he had to tell them something Will told his friends that Hannibal had lost his memory, probably due to a traumatic event, which might or might not be the truth.

Hannibal started to wear three piece suits instead of the casual clothes Will had bought him in the beginning. It wasn't Will's style, but he had to admit that the suits looked great on Hannibal. Hannibal also took a liking to classical music and the opera, dragging Will along with him and listening to the music mesmerized, with tears in his eyes.

Once in a while, when Will handed Hannibal a new list of victims, he saw Hannibal's longing gaze and knew what he wanted.

Hannibal wanted Will to accompany him, to hunt together with him.

And Will knew that he would, some day, when he was ready.


End file.
